Triumphant Trump returns

Plus, day one of a ceasefire in Gaza,

Sign up for Reuters newsletters  Daily Briefing Daily Briefing By Kate Turton Hello, later today Donald Trump will be sworn in as US president, he has vowed to his supporters he will impose severe limits on immigration on his first day in office.  In the Middle East, Hamas frees hostages and Israel releases Palestinian prisoners on day one of a ceasefire, and negotiators zero in on potential deal to disarm Syria's last battleground. Plus, US TikTok enthusiasts hope the 'magic' returns as app is restored. Today's Top News   REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein United States Donald Trump will be sworn in as US president, ushering in another turbulent four-year term with promises to push the limits of executive power, deport millions of immigrants, secure retribution against his political enemies and transform the role of the US on the world stage. "By the time the sun sets tomorrow, the invasion of our country will have come to a halt." These were the words of Trump to his supporters at a packed Washington arena, just one day before taking office. President Joe Biden urged despondent fellow Democrats not to give up hope as he returned to the warm embrace of South Carolina's Black churchgoing community to mark the final full day of his presidency. In other news Hamas released three Israeli hostages and Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners on the first day of a ceasefire suspending a 15-month-old war that has devastated Gaza. James Mackenzie joins the Reuters World News podcast with insights on the hostage releases and the uphill battle to rebuild Gaza. An Indian court handed down a life sentence to a police volunteer convicted of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the hospital where she worked in the eastern city of Kolkata, rejecting demands for the death penalty saying it was not a rare crime. A British teenager pleaded guilty to charges of murdering three young girls in a knife attack in northern England in July, a crime that horrified the nation and was followed by days of nationwide rioting. A Ghanaian small-scale miners' association said soldiers killed nine unarmed people at an AngloGold Ashanti mine, while the army said seven illegal miners had been killed in a firefight. Business & Markets   Wall Street is optimistic about Trump's pro-business stance. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Investors prepared to welcome Donald Trump's second inauguration, anticipating benefits from his pro-business agenda, while remaining wary of his protectionist trade policies, particularly his stance on tariffs. The European Commission intends to propose a ban on the use of PFAS, or "forever chemicals", in consumer products, with exemptions for essential industrial uses, the EU's environment chief told Reuters. Economic fears have escalated into grievances among 60% of people, with many believing hostile actions such as violence can be necessary to bring about change, according to a global poll by communications firm Edelman. The frugal trend that began in China during the economic disruption of the pandemic and deepened amid the crisis in the property market is intensifying as Gen Z shuns government calls to spend, spend, spend and doubles down on saving. Trump's newly-created cryptocurrency soared to nearly $12 billion in market value, drawing in billions in trading volume, while bitcoin hit a record high just hours ahead of the US President-elect's return to the White House. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. played an instrumental role in organizing mass litigation against drugmaker Merck over its Gardasil vaccine, a strategy that faces its first test in a Los Angeles court next week, according to two attorneys close to the case and court filings. Trump Media's true believers bet on stock surge as presidency begins   Retail investors adopt meme-stock mentality, vow never to sell shares. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo One night in late October, Whitney Patterson spotted a YouTube video about people buying shares in Trump Media & Technology Group, the president-elect's social media and streaming company. Patterson had never heard of Trump Media and had never invested in a stock on her own. But that night, Patterson, whose family owns a pickle business, moved a third of the cash in her retirement fund into Donald Trump's company. She is one of 600,000 retail investors whose fortunes are linked with those of the president-elect they support, and they see his inauguration as a turning point for the stock. Read more And Finally... A social media influencer films a video in Times Square in New York City, January 16, 2025. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid "We're back but at what cost?" mused one TikTok user after the app was shut down and turned back on in the US in a period of less than 24 hours. Read more Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters.com Reuters Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here. Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. Terms & Conditions and Privacy Statement © 2025 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036